Online Career Guide

While there are all kinds of benefits that are associated with learning and furthering your educational goals there are even more benefits to those who wish to pursue online learning in order to achieve those goals. I hope you will find that many of these benefits are quite enlightening and carefully consider whether or not online learning for your secondary education needs will be in your best interests.

1) Convenience. This is a word we are quite familiar with. Right along with instant gratification. We are a society of people who have lived with drive thru banking and fast food and are rapidly moving in the direction of drive thru pharmacies and dry cleaning. We live in a fast paced world and when we can work education into our busy schedules and on our own terms we find that this is something we tend to like a lot.
I recommend that you watch for a growing number of online classes and online students in the coming years as more and more professionals decide to further their degrees and their careers.

2) Flexibility. You can take these classes or do the work during your lunch break, while the kids are practicing soccer, or while cooking dinner (depending of course on how well you multitask). You do not need to be in the classroom every night at 6:00 pm for the next five years in order to get the same degree of education. This by no means indicates that you will not have to do the work. The work will not change nor will the fact that you have a limited time in which to complete the work. What will change is that you will have the option of doing the work in the morning, afternoon, or after those 2 a.m. feedings when you can’t seem to get back to sleep.

3) Location. There isn’t enough that can really be said about this. Online education comes to you wherever you happen to be able to connect to the Internet. Whether you are at home, at work, or your favorite Internet café you can have the convenience of taking your work with you and enjoying the environment in which you are completing your work.

4) Less Expensive. No more convenience meals, childcare expenses, or gas guzzling trips to a college campus that thirty minutes away. You can now enjoy in your own home the benefits of an education without many of the financial hardships that are often associated with attending college. Internet access seems like such a small price to pay when compared with all the reasons mentioned above.

5) Believe it or not, online courses help you brush up your online abilities. Seriously. You will be better at dealing with email, bulletin boards, online research, and you will learn countless other skills along the way that you probably never realized had anything to do with the courses you are actually taking-because they don’t. In other words, you are getting more of an education than you bargained for when it comes to online learning.

6) Individual attention. Online students often have more one on one interaction with their professors than students in a classroom. The online classroom is virtual and correspondence through email is essential in this particular learning environment. For this reason it is quite possible that your professors will know more about you and your learning patterns and needs than they will know about most of the students they see two or three times a week in their classrooms.

While these are just a few of the benefits of taking online classes you should carefully weigh the benefits with the things that may be problematic about this particular type of learning situation before you take the plunge. Learning is a lifelong process but if you are seeking a degree you do not want to jeopardize that by taking a course that will not address your specific learning needs. If you feel confident that you can be successful in this particular type of learning environment than I feel you will truly enjoy the experience and the flexibility it brings to the educational process.

With the amount of information available on the internet, you would think it would quite simple to find the right tools and resources to start a search for an online degree. Before you are even able to begin examining what courses are offered, as well as certain programs, you have to fill out registration form after form, and then possibly have someone confirm your identity before they will disclose their programs! Who wants to deal with the unnecessary stress and time wasted with jumping through all those hoops? You are looking at online degrees for a reason, because you simply don’t have the time to actually go back to school perhaps. Why should you be penalized for being busy? If you wanted to deal with this kind of process, you would go and enroll at a nearby college or facility. What you need is someone to be a middleman and do the legwork for you! You need directoryofschools.com!

No matter what your search for online degrees is, directory of schools is able to assist you by giving you a list of some of the most reputable and well known schools that offer online degrees in the country! You’ve seen the commercials for schools such as University Of Phoenix, Devry University & Westwood College, now you have one place you can go to make contact with all of them. No more do you need to spend hours scouring their sites for information on certain degrees, let alone try and figure out how to apply for each of them!

In order to simplify the process even further, the online list of the most popular online degrees and degree programs is also available to aid you in your search! Online accounting, advertising and marketing, appraisal, business management, computer science, criminal justice, health care, homeland security, graphic design, paralegal, nursing, web development, interior design and human services are just a few of the most popular online degree programs available today.It doesn’t have to stop there though! There are even programs for getting your GED, associate degree, online Bachelors degree, Masters Degree or your Ph. D Doctorate! It doesn’t have to end with just an associate’s degree!

Why waste another day trying to figure out where to go and what to do, when there is a wealth of information available right in front of your fingertips? Why go anywhere else when directoryofschools.com has already compiled the information for you? our time is valuable and all that is missing from taking the next step in your career is just a click away!

by Daniel Marcus Manson

If you are a woman looking to head to college, the good news is that you can find special grant options specifically designed for female students. Because of the historical imbalance between men and women in certain specified industries, colleges and non-profit organizations are looking for ways to encourage women to pursue such degrees and careers. This means you can benefit as a female student.

If you are a female student who is also economically disadvantaged, you have even more options to consider. If you are looking to further your degree past college in order to get a better career, the Business and Professional Women’s Association has several grant options for you. The Jeanette Rankin Foundation has options for women over 35 who are looking to head back to school but face tremendous monetary need.

The bottom line is that women can find help with their college expenses. Colleges, non-profit organizations, and women’s groups all offer women help with attending school. Before you assume that the government is your only source of financial aid as a female college student, you need to look into these other options, because you have plenty of help available as a female student!

In this still-uncertain economy that remains rife with unemployment, hundreds of thousands of out-of-work blue- and white-collar professionals, competing for scarce available jobs, find themselves faced with the need to further their training, expand their skill sets, or in some cases change career paths altogether. Many are going back to school, some to obtain their first college degree, others to get an additional or more advanced degree that could give their résumé a much-needed competitive edge in a crowded marketplace.

These online college degrees, however, can often be pricey, requiring many students to take out a significant amount of money in student loans and private student loans. And some online universities have continued to offer only associate degrees and certificate programs, no bachelor’s or advanced degrees. As competition for jobs has intensified in a shrinking economy, many job-seeking professionals have found that their two-year college degree is going up against four-year and professional college degrees.

… and Demand for the Lower Costs of Community College Programs

Community colleges have traditionally offered lower-income and non-traditional students a lower-priced, commuter-friendly, and part-time alternative to pricier online college degrees and full-time four-year colleges and universities. But the two-year community college degree has posed the same drawbacks as two-year online college degrees: When going up against four-year degrees in a job search, two-year degrees simply aren’t as competitive.

Four-Year Community Colleges Offer a Cost-Convenience Solution

Now, however, students are finding a growing number of four-year degree options at community colleges. As more community colleges respond to increased student demand for affordable higher education, expanding their programs to include four-year bachelor’s degrees and applied baccalaureate degrees, new and returning students are increasingly able to obtain the academic pedigree of a four-year degree with much of the flexibility offered by online college degree programs but at the lower cost of a community college education.

Bachelor’s Degree Programs at Community Colleges Expanding

Florida currently leads the nation with 14 community colleges authorized to award bachelor’s degrees, reports The New York Times, with 12 schools already having done so, in fields including fire safety management and veterinary technology (“Community Colleges Challenge Hierarchy With 4-Year Degrees,” May 2, 2009). Nationwide, 17 states, including Nevada, Texas, and Washington, have granted community colleges the authority to award associate and bachelor’s degrees.

In some states, community colleges have even become four-year institutions in order to facilitate their new longer programs. At Miami Dade College in Florida — formerly known as Miami Dade Community College — more than 1,000 students are currently enrolled in the school’s bachelor degree programs. The average age of these students is 33.

LaKisha Coleman, a Miami Dade student who will graduate with a college degree in public safety management this spring, recommends the school to family members for its advantages over a traditional four-year degree program at a state or private university.

“It’s much cheaper, the teachers are good, you can do it in the evening while you work, and everyone’s very helpful,” Coleman told The New York Times.

Applied Baccalaureate Degrees Another Burgeoning Community College Offering

In the current economy, at a time when students have fewer financial resources to cover their college costs and job prospects are uncertain, the applied baccalaureate degree is becoming a popular option for students, says Debra Bragg, the director of the Forum on the Future of Public Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Usually focusing on applied academics or applied sciences and technologies, an applied baccalaureate degree is a four-year bachelor’s degree that may be earned at both two- and four-year institutions, including technical colleges and community colleges. Unlike bachelor’s degrees at some conventional four-year universities, however, the applied baccalaureate degree counts technical and associate degree–level courses as degree credits, allowing community college students to keep their course costs low and minimize their need for student loans or other financial aid.

“Applied baccalaureate degree programs at community colleges can be used by students looking for a career that is emerging, or for adults who have earned college credits in the past and are looking to re-enter college, often to advance their careers to a supervisory level,” Bragg explains.

Since 2000, the number of states offering an applied baccalaureate degree has doubled, reports the University of Illinois. Currently, 39 states offer the degree.

The applied “real-world” focus of applied baccalaureate programs and coursework is aimed at grooming students to fill projected workforce needs in areas of the country where large concentrations of jobs have been lost due to outsourcing, a shrinking manufacturing base, or a shift in local industry.

“An applied baccalaureate degree represents a viable pathway for someone who previously hadn’t thought about earning a bachelor’s degree,” says Bragg, “but now sees it as a necessary step to getting and keeping a good job with benefits.”

by Jeff Mictabor

An online degree is a college degree that is earned by taking courses online. Online degrees are offered by online colleges or schools or programs or by regular brick and mortar schools – on-campus schools, colleges or universities. In some cases you can go for free.

Students who choose to learn online will need to be more disciplined. You’ll have to motivate yourself to check in, complete your courses, take tests and attend online lectures without a traditional on-campus schedule to follow. Your amount of course-load would be the same as on-campus including assignments, any prerequisites and test requirements. Degree requirements would remain the same also.

If you’re wondering if online degrees are credible, they certainly are. They are becoming much more popular and many famous colleges and universities offer online degree programs now. Employers look at them just as favorably too. Just make sure your online college choice is accredited. There are fake accreditation schools but you can easily sniff these out. The U.S. Department of Education is responsible for accreditation so you can check with them.

There are more than four million people taking online courses and programs and each year more people are signing up.

All degree types can be achieved online – associate degree, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, doctoral degree, graduate programs and many types of certifications and other diplomas.

Areas of study include business, accounting, business management, marketing, criminal justice, law enforcement, homeland security, education including elementary and secondary education, engineering, graphic design including website development, healthcare including nursing and healthcare administration, human services, psychology, legal and paralegal, liberal arts and technology including computer programming and network technology.

Financial aid is available through the financial aid department of the on-campus or online colleges or universities. Generally you’ll find it easy to get federal loans or actually receive grants or scholarship money for your education. There is money set aside specifically for online degrees. Additionally there are other types of education loans. One should try to get scholarships and grants so you can get part or all of your online courses free.

by Helen Hecker

It seems that everybody wants to be a lawyer these days, and who can blame them? We live in a world of growing crimes rates with statistics that are enough to terrify even the most optimistic of people. Divorce rates are higher than ever before and every man and his dog seems to be involved in some sort of lawsuit. Unfortunately, that is just the way society has gone, although it is extremely good news for the law industry. This may all sound like work in itself, but choosing an online law course is a big decision to make. It can effectively define your path in life and make or break a potential career. Attention to detail is necessary to find the best college and university online law degree and give you a firm foundation to build upon.

Online Law Degree Program

Beware of Scholarship Scams about Online Law Degrees Don’t get carried away by reading tall claims on a website about scholarship for an online law degree. Get enough information about the online law degree scholarship before taking the plunge. Students and parents are advised to review and reconsider the claims made on the websites. Going to law school is an experience that is both incredibly challenging and immensely rewarding. Unfortunately, not everyone has the chance to study law at a university. Not only is it expensive and difficult to get in, but law school is also very demanding of your time. There are many people who want to study law but are constrained by the requirements of their work or family. Perhaps you are such a person, who would like to earn a law degree but cannot take time off to attend university classes. In that case, you are the perfect candidate to go for an online law degree.

An online program like this most often offers courses on heath care law. The fact that the population is aging and will continue to increase in age in thecoming years, has introduced our society to many new legal issues. Such issues are carefully addressed in a online law degree program.

Long before the appearance of courses on the internet, a woman named Margery Shaw undertook the pursuit of a post graduate degree. After Dr. Margery Shaw chose to concentrate on issues related to medical genetics, she encountered many legal questions. She went back to college and got a law degree. This took place about 30 years ago, in other words long before the introduction of any online law degree program.

A program like this might also have courses on wills and trusts. These days many law students have come to realize the importance of learning about wills and trusts. Today society have to deal with more than one kind of will.

by jacob

Most students perusing higher studies seek college loans to help pay their expenses. While still a student, unless born to a wealthy family or on a scholarship, the majority of students find it hard covering all the bills on their meagre income. College loan facilities hence play an integral part during the college years of students. Many financial institutions providing college loans allow students to differ their college loan repayment till they graduate and find gainful employment.

Have you noticed the fall in interest rates over the past few years? Interest rates have now sunk to an all time low for the first time after forty years. Your parents probably wouldn’t have ever dreamed of seeing such a massive drop in interest rates. Now is the time to apply for college loan consolidation and take advantage of these low interest rates. Getting help with your college loan consolidation can be a great idea; it will immediately brighten up your financial picture.

You can have college loan consolidation irrespective of what credit rating you have. If you want to begin repairing your credit rating, college loan consolidation can be an ideal option worth considering. You can refinance various student loans and have just one payment per month, which will be less than the sum of all those payments you currently make. Another positive aspect of college loan consolidation is that, you will rid yourself of those calls from collection agencies and letters regarding your late payments. Getting college loan consolidation is laying the foundation for a more secure future.

Maybe you haven’t found that perfect job as quickly as you dreamed you would. Or you might have never expected an entry-level job in your career field would pay this low. Or simply put, the expenses of your college days have gotten way out of hand and now you groan under mammoth debt. Whatever your reason, you can apply for a college loan consolidation and embark on a path to debt-free living. These types of loans are easy to apply and quick to complete, you can apply from the privacy of your home or office computer. No need convincing a bank loan officer of your trustworthiness. No need to fill out piles of forms.

So, you’ve been thinking about advancing your education so that you can gain that extra earning power that college graduates enjoy. It is well known that college graduates have a lower risk of unemployment, enjoy better job quality, are more likely to be in high-level positions and have much greater promotion prospects because of their advanced level of education. Perhaps you already have your bachelors and want to get your masters so that you are ready for greater opportunities that come your way. No matter what degree level you want to pursue, you can do it all from the comfort of your home through online degree programs offered by online colleges.

* Self-motivation & Self-discipline

* Ability to prioritize

* Ability to set your own goals

* Good reading comprehension

Self-Motivation & Self-Discipline

You need to be highly self-motivated and self-disciplined and thus, be able to work without supervision. Since you don’t have a set class times at online colleges, it will be up to you to set your own studying times. It will help if you plan out your day and carve the same specific time each day to study. Self-discipline is required so you resist the urge of other distractions in your home such as doing the laundry, washing the dishes or watching TV. Self-discipline will also help you stick to your deadlines.

Ability to Prioritize

If you are choosing to pursue an online college degree, then it is probably because you have many other commitments to juggle such as work and family. Once you have made the commitment to attend an online college, then you must keep in mind that your education is just as an important of a commitment. With that mentioned, you should possess the ability to prioritize your schedule.

Just because online college degree programs are flexible, this does not mean the courses are easy, nor does it mean you can procrastinate class assignments and projects. With the many other commitments you have, it is important to prioritize your schedule, set deadlines, and as mentioned above, stick to the deadlines you set.

Ability to Set Your Own Goals

As with getting a degree through a traditional campus college, it is easy to fall off track without clear goals. Thus it is important to set both short-term and long-term goals when you pursue an online college degree. Some online colleges allow you to get a degree at your own pace and your pace will determine whether you get your online college degree in two years or ten years. When you pursue an online college degree you should set reasonable short-term goals such as taking 6-8 units (or as much as you can take) per quarter or semester. These short-term goals will help you reach your long-term goal with ease and will show the progress you are making towards achieving your long-term goal.

Good Reading Comprehension

A good level of reading comprehension is needed as online colleges teach primarily through written material written at college level. While you may have interaction with your classmates and/or instructor, the interaction will be done primarily through e-mail, chat rooms, and message boards.

If you find it difficult to attend college courses on campus, attending an online college is a great way to earn your degree. With online colleges and universities, you now have the opportunity to advance your education without having to push aside previous commitments. Just keep these characteristics in mind and you can be successful in advancing your education by earning your college degree online.

Although numerous criticisms have been made against online college degree programs, claiming that traditional college degree programs will always be better than existing online college degree programs, various extensive research and studies backed by Thomas Russel’s “The No Significant Difference Phenomenon” emphasize that there is no significant difference between college degrees earned online versus their traditional counterpart. At present, online college degree programs are available that cater to all aspects of learning. Schools, colleges, and universities also currently offer online associate or master’s degrees through online course program offerings.

Depending on the learner’s choice of college degree program or his/her choice of school, all college degree programs offered traditionally may now be availed of online. College degrees in business in the areas of accounting, administration, e-Business, management, marketing, finance, information systems, public administration, and retail management are available. There are also college degrees in legal management and criminal justice administration available.
College degrees in humanities and liberal arts, including sociology, philosophy, communications, psychology and human services management are also offered. Natural science and applied sciences, such as nursing, pharmacy, biology, medical studies, physics, math, and chemistry are also offered. One of the more popular college course programs offered online is information technology, which includes computer sciences, visual communications, information management, network administration, programming, and computer systems. Education programs are also available that may range from basic teacher-training modules to more specialized college courses.
Admission requirements to any of the chosen online college degree programs are subject to evaluation of eligibility, college level completion, or even certifications. For those who are starting college, a high school diploma or its equivalent is a basic requirement. Those who wish to finish their college education online and have already spent some time in college may submit their school records for evaluation as to which courses to take. Those who just wish to gain extra credits should present their diplomas and certifications for eligibility.
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